Pop Haydn presents Tesla Girl!

Sophie Evans as Tesla Girl!

Pop Haydn presents a wonderful new version of the classic Vaudeville act from the turn of the 20th Century known as The Georgia Magnet.

This act was made famous by Lulu Hurst and later by Annie Abbott.

The concept of the act is that the "magnetic" girl was able to use her own animal magnetism to control the force of gravity, and when standing on a mat that kept her "insulated" from the ground, she was able to change her weight and become so heavy no man could lift her. She could not be forced off the mat by any number of large men.

In our show, Pop Haydn in the 21st Century! we recreate this act, but all "steampunked up" and modernized for a 21st Century audience.

Pop introduces Sophie Evans, as Tesla Girl, and she stands on the copper mat that is attached to Pop's Tesla C-2000 (a highly modified version of a Tesla Coil. Volunteers from the audience try to lift her and push her off her mat. No one can move her...

Combining science and yogic body meditative techniques, Tesla Girl is full of sparks and fire, lights and noise, as well as being mystifying and thought-provoking.

Lulu Hurst

Lulu Hurst

Lulu HurstBorn 1869Polk County, GeorgiaDied May 13, 1950Lulu Hurst (1869 - May 13, 1950), born in Polk County, Georgia was the first of the "Georgia Wonders" to demonstrate strange powers in a vaudeville act, billing herself also as The Georgia Magnet and The Electric Girl. In September 1883, Hurst gained local attention by demonstrating mysterious abilities. In one of her demonstrations, a man of considerable strength would hold a cane horizontally in both hands. When Hurst placed her open hands on the cane, the man could no longer hold it steady. In some cases the volunteer was even thrown to the floor. With the help of theatrical manager Sanford H. Cohen and newspaper editor Henry Grady, Hurst's vaudeville act was soon in much demand. Hurst toured across the United States from 1884 - 1885 and though only fifteen, she was one of the most famous women in the country. As other women duplicated her act and observers were able to explain her feats in the fall 1885, Hurst canceled a tour of Europe, retired from the stage, and retreated into silence. Hurst refused to discuss her career or her powers until 1897, when she published a tell all autobiography that gave explanations of her methods. Hurst's fame and substantial earnings inspired many other imitators from Georgia, including Mattie Lee Price of Bartow County and Mamie Simpson of Marietta, but the most successful was known as Annie Abbott, "The Little Georgia Magnet."

Annie Abbott

1861-1915

Real Name: Dixie Annie Jarratt Haygood

Birthday: ?

Birthplace: ?

Buried: Memory Hill CemeteryMilledgeville, Georgia

Billed as the "Little Georgia Magnet", Annie Abbott's act consisted of feats of weight and motion resistance. Despite her tiny size, large male volunteers would be unable to lift her or remove a pool cue in her hand. She was most famous during the late 1800's, taking her act directly from the well-known Lulu Hurst, but distinguishing herself by presenting here performance as a physical phenomenon as well as a spirit medium.Dixie Haygood and her new husband, Charles, witnessed the wonderful Lulu Hurst and her resistance act in 1884, and by early 1885 Dixie had changed her name to Annie Abbott and was performing the act herself. She had immediate success, which was a good thing, since Charles was murdered in 1886 and Annie had to support herself and her children.Her act was very impressive. She could lift a group of four men perched a chair by simply touching the chair. She would resisting the combined efforts of four men to move her while she was standing on one foot. She could even lift a man off the floor by placing her open hands upon his head.During her 20-year career, Annie became famous in both the United States and abroad, traveling on successful tours through Europe and Russia. Annie Abbott performed from 1885 until 1906, when she retired to enjoy her wealth and spend time with her family.From her obituary in the Macon Telegraph: "She appeared before virtually all the royal houses of the world during the past fifteen years. It is said that Dixie Jarratt Haygood, whose stage name was Annie Abbott, had a strange 'power'. She could lift four men on a chair by simply touching the chair. She could stand upon one foot and resist the united efforts of four strong men to move her. She could lift men into mid-air by placing her open hands upon their heads. She is believed to have performed for the Prince of Wales, Queen Victoria, the Czar of Russia, and other royalty of Europe." She also taught her young son to perform the act; a small boy was as much of a wonder performing the act as a tiny woman.The Resistance Act was so popular that it was performed by a number of others, including Mattie Lee Price, Carrie Arnold, Anna Eva Fay, Mrs. C.F. Coleman, and Mamie Simpson.In 1911, Annie Abbott became ill and housebound. When she died in 1915, she was interred in a grave which remained unmarked until 2001, when a group of her descendants placed the headstone on it.

Tesla's achievements and his abilities as a showman demonstrating his seemingly miraculous inventions made him world-famous. Although he made a great deal of money from his patents, he spent a lot on numerous experiments. He lived for most of his life in a series of New York hotels although the end of his patent income and eventual bankruptcy led him to live in diminished circumstances, Tesla still continued to invite the press to parties he held on his birthday to announce new inventions he was working and make (sometimes unusual) statements. Because of his pronouncements and the nature of his work over the years, Tesla gained a reputation in popular culture as the archetypal "mad scientist". He died on 7 January 1943.